After 12 o'clock, I needed to get energized for work in the afternoon, so I decided to have a hearty meal. I was planning to go to the nearby Kitchen Sanae, but it was closed on May 31st, so I came to this place instead. I really wanted to try the curry ramen (curry soba) that was popular in reviews, and I also ordered a full portion of fried rice instead of a half portion. Normally, I would order half curry rice, but this time I had fried rice because it came with the ramen. Behind the counter, there was a lady who seemed to be the owner and a young man who I assumed was her son. It was a common sight in local Chinese restaurants. The kitchen was bustling with activity, which seemed to enhance the taste of the food. The curry ramen (soba) had plenty of broth and a generous amount of curry. The curry was a regular curry roux, but it had a good amount of spices that complemented the ramen well. It was delicious, and I only ordered it once as a lucky charm, but it was really good. The meat was cut into large pieces, and there were plenty of vegetables. The soup and curry stayed hot throughout the meal. The fried rice was a hit. I usually never had the opportunity to try it because I always ordered half curry rice, but this time it had plenty of my favorite firm and succulent char siu pork, giving it a satisfying texture, and the aroma of the Maillard reaction from the stir-frying transferred to the rice, making it fragrant. I felt embarrassed for thinking that there aren't many places that serve better fried rice than frozen char siu fried rice from the day before. As other customers who came in later also ordered the fried rice as a single item, it must be a popular menu among regulars. The taste was absolutely satisfying.

I had to stop by New Okubo for some spice and grocery shopping, so I rode my bike there. It had been three years since my last visit. The sign looked new. It was lunchtime, so the place was almost full of locals and office workers. There aren't many restaurants around here, so it's not surprising. I ordered half curry rice and ramen, and half fried rice and ramen for ¥900. The main cook, who seemed to be in her 70s, was in charge of the kitchen, including cooking the fried rice. Assisting her were a man who seemed to be her son, handling the front of the house and cooking noodles. The ramen broth was chicken-based but lacked depth, with a hint of soy sauce. However, its versatility was great. That's what I was looking for. The chashu slices were quite thick and plentiful, found in both the ramen and fried rice. While Tenban, Oomaseken, and other popular shops are closer to my home, they go beyond the typical local Chinese style, so I always feel the need to visit places like this one that offer a unique taste that can't be quantified by ratings.

Located in a residential area in Shinjuku-ku, not far from Okubo Station and Higashi-Nakano Station on the JR Chuo-Sobu Line, is a Chinese restaurant called "Miraku." I visited for the first time around 12:30 on a weekday. The exterior has a red sign, and upon entering, you are greeted by a traditional Chinese restaurant atmosphere with about 5 counter seats and 3 tables for 4 people each. It seemed to be popular among nearby office workers and market goers, as it was quite busy with all seats filled. The menu is displayed on the wall, with categories such as ramen, set meals, and combos. Prices range from 800 yen for Negi Ramen to 900 yen for dishes like Katsudon and Yakiniku. I decided to try the Half-Fried Rice and Ramen Set for 900 yen. After a wait of about 10 minutes, the dishes were served. The ramen had a traditional soy sauce flavor with Naruto toppings and slightly chewy chashu. The soup was light and made with chicken broth. The half-fried rice was a generous portion with plenty of well-cooked ingredients and a perfectly seasoned taste. Both dishes were simple yet delicious, and I left feeling satisfied. Payment is cash only. I look forward to trying other items on the menu next time, such as the Katsu Curry or Meat and Vegetable Stir-Fry set meal.

After a long time, I visited a ramen shop and ordered the half curry set for 900 yen. The half curry portion, which used to be almost a full serving, has improved in taste significantly. The meat included plenty of pork pieces and simmered chunks. The soup was plentiful and piping hot, with a layer of oil on top and a rich dashi flavor. The curry and ramen both became tastier along with the price increase. It's a shame to avoid this place just because of its appearance. It's a shop with great value for money.

At Amigaku, a 6-minute walk from Higashi-Nakano Station in Tokyo, you can get a Five-Ingredient Ramen for 750 yen. This is a local Chinese restaurant that is less than a 5-minute walk from my home, but because it's not on my usual route, I had completely forgotten about its existence. Today, I went to a Western-style restaurant near this place during the day, and on my way to Higashi-Nakano Station, I remembered how good the food was here and decided to stop by in the evening. I arrived at 6:00 PM and there were no other customers at first, but three more arrived later. I think usually it's run by a husband and wife, but today the landlady was working alone. The ramen was served in less than 10 minutes, with a side of pickles. The toppings included a boiled egg, shrimp, chashu pork, omelette, fish cake, naruto fish cake, pork belly, cabbage, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, and bamboo shoots. For this price, the amount and variety of toppings were more than enough. The soup had a gentle saltiness from chicken bones and vegetables, with a nostalgic, old-fashioned flavor. The noodles were medium-thick, curly, and there was a good amount of them. I enjoyed the meal and it was my first visit in over 10 years. I had forgotten that there was a cheap and delicious restaurant nearby. Thank you for the meal!

It's amazing how densely populated this area is, yet the shopping street lacks vitality. It seems like it used to be different in the past. Nowadays, there are hardly any food and beverage establishments around, giving this place a somewhat isolated feeling. During lunchtime, nearby businessmen play a game of finding seats in our small and crowded restaurant. I couldn't take a picture of the menu on the wall, but they had a good selection of set meals. I chose the Tanmen set: a light taste at first, but with various flavors kicking in later. The noodles were cooked perfectly, but they tend to get soft quickly, so it's best to swallow them without chewing too much. The fried rice had a nice texture and the expected flavor, although it seemed like it was cooked at a high heat. The kitchen seemed to be bustling with orders, including takeout orders from the neighbors. Some dishes that passed by looked like generous portions - perhaps a special treat for regular customers? That's the charm of a local Chinese restaurant. Today's title: I believe in miracles / Jackson sisters. By the way, our restaurant's name is "Ajiraku," not "Miraku" as some may think!

This was my first visit for lunch on a regular day. The restaurant is located slightly west of Yodobashi Market in Kitashinjuku, and both the exterior, interior, and menu are typical of a local Chinese restaurant. I was torn between the "Gomoku Soba" and the "Tianjin Don," but I chose the "Tianjin Don" for 800 yen. The "Tianjin Don" turned out to have a bright red sauce with unexpected ketchup. I had assumed it would be soy sauce-based. The omelette was not a single piece, but rather several randomly stacked layers, which was a unique style. I couldn't taste any crab, but there were various vegetables in the dish. The sauce had a slight tanginess to it, and the ketchup flavor was quite dominant. Unfortunately, this wasn't quite my preferred type of "Tianjin Don."

I used to live in Higashi-Nakano for about 2 years in the past, but I don't think this restaurant existed back then. The only place I remember around here is a Western-style restaurant called "Lucky Seven," but it seems like the shop is no longer there. It's been over 30 years, so my memory is a bit fuzzy. This area is a great spot to enjoy the cherry blossoms along the Kanda River in spring. It was a luxury to go to the public bath and occasionally stop by Lucky Seven for some Western food, just like in the song about Kaguya-hime and the Kanda River. Today, Yodobashi Market is closed. The area is quite empty, so I sit at the counter and order moyashi soba. An elderly woman is half cleaning up and half preparing for opening in the kitchen. She serves me pickled cucumbers and inarizushi first. She treats other customers the same way, so this must be their custom. In the somewhat messy kitchen, she takes out wood ear mushrooms, shredded carrots, and other ingredients from the fridge, arranging them in their place while shaking the wok. It seems like it will take some time, so I enjoy the inarizushi while waiting for the moyashi soba. The inarizushi is small but enough to awaken the stomach. When the moyashi soba is served, unfortunately, it's not the kind with sauce poured over it. Nonetheless, the freshly made soba with plenty of bean sprouts is delicious and satisfying. The crispy bean sprouts have the perfect texture from being stir-fried just right. The noodles are my preferred medium thickness and straight. I unintentionally enjoyed a great bowl of moyashi soba. Nowadays, this quality for 600 yen including tax is definitely worth it.

This day, my drinking partner wanted to go to a Chinese restaurant in the city, so we decided to have a quick standing drink first and then come here for the second round. However, when I called ahead, I found out that they close at 7:30 pm, so we hurriedly went to another place for the first round. We arrived at this place around 7 pm and found that there were 2 other customers already seated at a table near the entrance, enjoying Chinese drinks. The background music was playing from the TV at the entrance. We ordered a beer, which seemed to have recently increased in price to 600 yen, with cucumber and turnip pickles, and a little bit of chilled tofu. The tofu tasted like high-quality soybeans and was delicious. I ordered ramen with half curry rice for 800 yen, while my drinking partner got curry soba for 600 yen. The ramen was served with slightly light soy sauce broth and medium-thin, slightly chewy noodles. The toppings included thick slices of flavorful char siu, naruto, menma, green onions, and spinach. The curry rice was quite filling, with a sticky and well-cooked curry sauce that was good but a bit heavy to drink. It would be better as a standalone dish for the next visit. As more customers arrived around 7:30 pm, I realized that the place closes around that time. I rushed here from Higashi-Shinjuku Station, but next time, I'll take it easy. I was quite full, but we headed to the next place.

Located in Kitashinjuku Yonchome. Although it is named Shinjuku, it is a bit closer to Higashi-Nakano. There are not many tall buildings here, and it feels like the only area without any armed conflict, with a peaceful atmosphere. I decided to head to "Kitchen Sanae" for some katsu curry, but unfortunately, it was closed. However, as I walked a bit further, I remembered this other restaurant that I had been wanting to try, so I went in without hesitation. Even though I entered without hesitation, I found myself hesitating over the menu. They had katsu curry, but it seemed different here. Fried rice, ramen, gyoza, liver and leek stir-fry... However, the presence of curry was hard to forget. Oh, they have curry ramen. I was still indecisive. Hmm. As I pondered, the elderly landlady, who seemed to be eating a meal, urged me to place an order. The fried chicken that caught her eye looked delicious and added to my dilemma. I thought about playing it safe with the half ramen set, but I couldn't completely give up on my desire for curry, so I took a chance and asked for something not on the menu. "Can I have curry ramen with half fried rice?" I made an apologetic face. Negotiation successful. Thank you very much. The sound of the pot being shaken vigorously and the sound of a wide show from the small TV above, the duo of a local Chinese restaurant. First, the fried rice. It had visible chunks of naruto and meat. The base flavor was delicious!! But, it smelled burnt somehow. Not a crispy aroma, but a burnt smell. It seemed to be a problem with pot maintenance, a shame. The homemade pickled turnip served alongside was nice. And then, the curry ramen. A straightforward one with curry roux poured on top, as if to say shut up about the spices. The oil from the curry separated from the soup. This oil covering the surface of the soup prevented it from cooling down, scorching my tongue and palate. The Hokkaido ramen's lard barrier theory. Mixing well to blend in, the flavor doubled. Carrots, onions, and pork were well stewed in the curry roux, making it heartwarming. I reached for the bottle of chili oil to add some kick, but it slipped from my hand as if to reject it. My fingers turned bright red from the chili oil. A common occurrence in restaurants that are not very good at cleaning. Still, I wonder what cold curry ramen would be like. This restaurant is surprisingly bold.

A traditional Chinese restaurant that is very cheap and serves large portions! I ordered a half-fried rice and it was a full serving for one person.笑

Curry soba for 600 yen.

The shop located in a residential area had local customers, but the fried rice was not tasty, and it was a disappointing restaurant.

This is an old-fashioned Chinese restaurant located at a somewhat inconvenient distance from Okubo Station, Higashi-Nakano Station, and Ochiai Station. I used to visit this place often when I was a student because a friend of mine lived in the neighborhood. Sometimes we would go once a week. I always ordered the "Curry Soba" without fail. Since I always ordered the same thing, my friends also got hooked and we would often all order the Curry Soba together. When I first started using Tabelog, I tried searching for this restaurant but couldn't find it, probably because I was searching the wrong way and couldn't remember the name of the place. Without any landmarks to go by, I thought it had closed down and gave up. However, I recently stumbled upon it on Tabelog and decided to go there for lunch with my friend Natsuki, who loves noodles. We walked from Shin-Okubo Station to the restaurant, which is located in a residential area with few people passing by. The red tent outside is a distinctive feature. The interior of the restaurant has a somewhat cluttered atmosphere with three tables for four people each and a counter with six seats (the seats at the counter are close together). The place has retained its nostalgic old-fashioned charm. It was a little past noon on a weekday, and there were five customers already inside and five more came in after us. It was quite busy. Smoking is allowed in the entire restaurant during lunchtime. Apart from us, all the other customers were men, and there were quite a few middle-aged men from the neighborhood (laughs). There were three staff members, with one elderly gentleman behaving a bit oddly. The main person in the kitchen seemed to be the sharp-tongued female owner and her son? The elderly gentleman seemed to be getting scolded by the female owner (laughs). On this day, we ordered the following (including tax): - Curry Soba: 600 yen (me) - Ramen (without green onions): 500 yen (Natsuki) Ah, this is it! This is the Curry Soba I was talking about! The Curry Soba is essentially Curry Ramen, with curry sauce poured over the ramen noodles. Most places serve Curry Ramen by mixing curry powder into the soup, but this one is different. This is what I love! (*ˊᗜˋﾉﾉ* Yay!!) The noodles are slightly thin with a firm texture, typical of Chinese noodles. The soup has green onions in it, and the curry sauce contains pork and onions, giving it a classic and delicious taste. It's a nostalgic flavor that doesn't try too hard to be fancy. I think the noodles used to be a bit thicker in the past... or maybe not... We were almost done with our ramen when we were served pickles (laughs). These pickles are a bit salty. Looking at the menu from 2013, the Ramen was 450 yen and the Curry Soba was 550 yen. The prices have increased by 50 yen each, but it's still quite affordable. Just a heads up, I called to confirm that they have a break between lunch and dinner in September, so please take note. After 20 years, I was able to enjoy this nostalgic taste once again, thanks to Tabelog. Thank you ♡ And then... I casually mentioned that we should go to the second place Natsuki wanted to visit... and somehow ended up on a ramen-eating spree...(I wrote this review immediately as the second restaurant is a limited-time pop-up shop) Thank you for the meal ☆

I was invited by my favorite former boss, Apu-chan, to a restaurant that holds memories for him, and I happily went along (*´ω｀*). It seems like a place he wouldn't normally go to alone, so it's funny that he invited me instead haha. The exterior of the restaurant has a lot of character, and the entrance is wide open. Inside, the place has a charmingly rustic feel that I quite like. On this day, we ordered the Curry Soba (Apu-chan's nostalgic ramen) and the Shoyu Ramen. The Curry Soba was a shoyu ramen with curry sauce on top, and it had a homey taste that I enjoyed. The noodles were thin, which I also liked. Apu-chan looked so happy while eating it ♥️ The Shoyu Ramen had a simple appearance but the taste was delicious, with a simple soy sauce flavor. I wanted to order the set with fried rice, but I had more ramen plans for later, so I stuck with just the ramen. The simple presentation was nice. The pickles that came with the ramen were a nice touch. They were well-pickled and made me crave some white rice to eat them with! The restaurant is run by the mother, and the father was serving us. He was getting scolded a lot, which was funny to watch haha. I really like these kind of local, simple ramen shops.

I visited a Chinese restaurant near Shinjuku Yodobashi Market around 12:15 on a weekday. The place was almost full with customers, so I managed to grab a seat at the counter. The restaurant had a head chef, a loud female manager, and another female staff member on the floor. I ordered the Half Fried Rice and Tanmen set for 900 yen. First, the Half Fried Rice arrived. It was almost like a full portion of fried rice, with a rich and fluffy texture and big slices of char siu. It also came with pickles, which was almost enough for a meal by itself. Shortly after, the Tanmen arrived. The soup was plentiful and had a thick chicken flavor, slightly on the salty side. The noodles were medium thickness and had a nice chewy texture. The vegetables included cabbage, bean sprouts, leeks, wood ear mushrooms, carrots, and added a lot of color and flavor. The pork had a generous amount and a nice aroma. By 12:30 when I left, the restaurant had emptied out. The young person next to me ordered a huge portion of pork cutlet curry for 800 yen. Overall, it was a solid Chinese restaurant experience.

It's just past noon so the restaurant is probably crowded. As I walked through the curtain, I saw a small restaurant with 5 counter seats occupied by 3 people, and 3 tables with 4 seats in the back with 3 people and 2 people, and a lone man at the front table. The owner, a woman in her sixties, suddenly shouted, "Come sit here!" which was unexpected. I sat down and ordered the "Gomoku Soba" for 700 yen. While waiting for my food, I observed an elderly man in a red T-shirt with short white hair and big ears eating a "Chuka-don" skillfully. He seemed to be from another galaxy, especially when he saved the shrimp for last. The three middle-aged women sitting at the counter may also be invaders from the same direction. The owner brought me the hot Gomoku Soba, which had a nostalgic taste. The slightly chewy noodles were comforting, and the soup had a familiar flavor. I finished the noodles and soup, and found a message from the elderly man, most likely enjoying a canned coffee by now. The message on the chopsticks said "Aji-raku" and on the bowl "Chuka Ryori Tatsumi Main Store," showing a slight inconsistency in the language of this planet. It seems there is still some uncertainty in translating to this planet's language (lol).

I visited during lunchtime. The restaurant seemed to be bustling with local customers. It is run by a very energetic auntie (in charge of cooking) and the owner (in charge of serving and deliveries). I ordered the "han-chan ramen." The ramen had a generous amount of soup with a nostalgic flavor of chicken broth and soy sauce. It's a taste that people who like it would surely love. The fried rice (single item, 550 yen) was more like 2/3 fried rice, not half. It had plenty of char siu and naruto, with a very traditional taste. It was delicious. The liver and leek set meal (700 yen) that others ordered also looked appetizing with generous portions. On the table, besides the usual condiments, there was also furikake (seaweed and plum), showing the care of the couple to not let anyone go hungry. The 2/3 fried rice ramen with homemade pickles, priced at 800 yen, is highly recommended.

It is located right in the middle of Ochiai, Higashinakano, and Okubo. It's a Chinese restaurant, but they also have curry and omurice. The curry is 550 yen. The ramen is 450 yen, which is very reasonable. If you get a half curry and ramen set, it will cost you 800 yen, which is a good deal. The curry portion is surprisingly generous for a half size. The curry has a rich and bold flavor, with plenty of pork for a satisfying meal. The ramen is also a traditional Chinese-style noodle soup that is very comforting. It even comes with pickles, all for 800 yen, which is a great value. Both the curry and ramen have an old-school taste that is nostalgic and satisfying. Sometimes you just crave this kind of flavor, and when you do, this set meal hits the spot. They also offer dishes like pork cutlet curry and curry soba, which all look delicious.